Canadian Hearing Society applauds Building Code amendments

Visual components on smoke and fire alarms to be required in 2015

The Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) has applauded the Government of Ontario?s recent amendments to the Ontario Building Code that will require all new residential buildings ? including apartments, condos, houses ? to have their smoke and fire alarms include a visual component as of January 2015. ?We are pleased that the government has acted on our recommendations and has acknowledged that visual alarms are an important part of enhancing safety and security in new residential buildings,? said Chris Kenopic, president and CEO, Canadian Hearing Society in a press release. ?This is a good start. However, there is more work to be done to ensure all buildings have alarms that include a visual component.? Visual alarms for fire and smoke use a strobe light system in addition to sound, and can mean the difference between life and death for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Jo Ann Bentley, Program Director, communication devices and accessibility services at CHS, added in the press release that the Ontario Building Code was amended in 2006 to require visual alarms in the public spaces of most buildings such as arenas, stadiums, hospitals, business offices, and other public venues. ?The recently announced amendments will see visual smoke and fire alarms installed in all new residential buildings. All of these changes are a testament to the hard work of many people, including community supporters, fire prevention officers, and community partners,? said Kenopic. ?We want to thank the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for inviting us to participate on the Technical Advisory Committee to provide these recommendations that meet the needs of Ontarians who are deaf and hard of hearing. We look forward to continuing to work with the government on accessibility initiatives.? Kenopic states that in order for Ontario to be fully accessible to all people, all auditory alarms must be accessible by having a visual component, including carbon monoxide alarms. While the recent amendments to the Ontario Building Code apply to newly constructed and extensively renovated buildings, in order for Ontario to reach the goals of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act by 2025, CHS officials said in the press release says safety concerns in existing buildings must be addressed to ensure that all buildings are accessible for deaf and hard of hearing residents. CHS has recommended that the provincial government: · Update the Ontario Fire Code to accept and endorse these accessibility requirements to have all smoke and fire alarms include a visual component. · Update and amend both the Ontario Building Code and Ontario Fire Code to integrate carbon monoxide detectors with smoke and fire alarms to ensure all three have a visual component. ?For more than 20 years, CHS has advocated for fire prevention strategies and worked with community, fire prevention officers and government partners to help keep Deaf and hard of hearing Ontarians safe,? said Kenopic. ?We will continue to advocate on behalf of our consumers and we thank all those community members and partners who have supported and continue to support these safety initiatives.? In the press release, CHS officials acknowledged the contributions of 7,000 community members who petitioned the government and some of who shared their personal experiences on the need for visual alarms. ?CHS continues to work with and appreciates the support of Ontario?s Fire Prevention Officers for their letters in support of visual alarms,? the press release stated.

Ministry of Labour calling for action on workplace falls

Eighty workers injured each due to falls in workplaces

The Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL) has announced a new safety training standard for those who work at heights. According to a press release from the provincial government, it was designed to establish consistent, high-quality safety training for workers across the province. In the press release, ministry officials said 80 workers are injured each day, and 20 die each year due to falls in Ontario workplaces, according to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). ?A tragic workplace incident in Toronto on Christmas Eve 2009, when a high-rise scaffold collapsed and four workers lost their lives and another was seriously injured, prompted the MOL to appoint an expert advisory panel to review Ontario?s occupational health and safety system,? the press release stated. In September 2013, Ontario?s chief prevention officer George Gritziotis issued a call to action on falls in the workplace, stating, ?I am extremely distressed by the number of workplace fatalities related to falls that have occurred recently ? these needless, intolerable tragedies must be stopped!? Initially voluntary, the ministry?s new ?Working-at-Heights Training Standard? applies to workplaces in the construction sector as well as to construction activity in other workplaces. Affected companies will have about six months to put the training in place as the standard is expected to become mandatory by summer 2014. Developed with input from across various sectors including business, organized labour, health and safety organizations, and other experts, the standard will later be expanded to include all industry sectors. This month, to help get the message of fall prevention out, Workplace Safety North, the occupational health and safety association for Ontario mining, forestry, and paper, printing and converting sectors, launched ?Falls: Erase the Hazard? ? the first animated video in a series of four. The health and safety videos offer tips for workers and employers regarding the province?s top four workplace hazards: falls; motor vehicle incidents; musculoskeletal disorders; and machine-related injuries, the press release stated. ?They?re intended to inspire discussion and action in the workplace to help prevent injuries and to ultimately reduce the human and financial toll workplace injuries take,? says Megan Waqué, WSN stakeholder communications specialist. Companies are encouraged to visit workplacesafetynorth.ca/ falls to view and share the videos. The training standard for working at heights also builds on the recent introduction of mandatory health and safety awareness training for Ontario workers and supervisors, which will be enforced by the ministry on July 1, 2014. ?We encourage our clients to complete the mandatory health and safety awareness courses before the compliance date of July 1, 2014,? says Candys Ballanger-Michaud, WSN president and CEO said in the press release. ?We?re here to help businesses that need it, and offer health and safety awareness programs that satisfy the requirements outlined in the new regulation. ?A safe workplace is the building block of strong communities and a strong economy,? she adds. ?For more than 90 years, as the health and safety partner for the Ontario mining, forestry, and paper, printing and converting sectors, the first priority at WSN is to make workplaces safer.?